Maximizing Video Content with a Strategy

Creating killer videos that showcase your culture and value can drastically improve the way consumers perceive and recognize your brand. But, producing a video just to have one doesn't necessarily mean it's worth your while. In this article, I discuss a few ways to enhance the purpose of your video content while maximizing the corresponding reach.

Video presentation is becoming more and more popular in the marketing and branding realm. Not only can it summarize written content, but it sheds light on the culture and competence of a brand. Finding ways to take advantage of different forms of content to can shed more light in areas of opportunity for businesses and personal brands. In this article, I want to touch on a few ways I’ve been maximizing video content in hopes to inspire you to harness your own originality.

As I mentioned in the first article of this series, I don’t like to shy away from giving away free advice. My value lies in my ability to generate creative ideas that separate my clients from their competition. The way I execute placement and publish content is simply the process behind these ideas. Increasing the views of videos you’ve already produced is my way of garnering your trust. At the end of the day, I’d love for you to believe in my ability to stretch your budget by enhancing the reach and purpose of your campaigns.

Key 1. Harnessing Value and Differentiation.

When it comes to maximizing video content, I start with genuine purpose. Forget the BS already. One of the most common fails I see in video production is the presentation of an extensive amount of information without a personal connection. We’ve surpassed the persuasivetalking head era and live in a time where perception is everything. Telling consumers what to do or how you’re better doesn’t always resonate well.

Don’t get me wrong, every video has it’s place. TV commercials and video ads are a completely different spectrum. When you’re investing in on-site, youtube or social media video campaigns – the message needs to be precise and real. This allows you to take advantage of organic search traffic and consumer intent. The more original you are, the easier it is to stand out within your industry.

Spending a lot of money on a stiff production script or a predetermined talk-track can be counterproductive for video content strategies. Engaging your audience with an authentic presentation tends to tap into emotions and develop trust. Instead of creating separate videos for sales, promos, insight and processes – try to focus squarely on your definitive value. Taking the time to uncover your brand identity helps establish clarity while speaking purposefully throughout all of your videos.

In my opinion, who a company is and “why they are” should always navigate marketing movements. Wavering from your purpose and value will only confuse consumers while altering credibility. You don’t always need a $5000 budget to curate an effective video. With mobile technology advancing, anyone can record at any time. Take advantage of this and don’t be afraid to be a little vulnerable. In case you’re not sure where to start, let me dive into a few ideas..

Key 2. Capturing Purposeful Topics.

Video content doesn’t always need to follow a certain set of deliverables. When you think about it, videos are rarely the last step of the conversion cycle. When someone stumbles across a video, they tend to be in the awareness phase. In other words, hard selling via video can create a negative first impression from the jump. PreFocusing on topics that nurture your audience is a great way to encourage them to buy in – whether they intend to buy now or down the road. This is where my passion lies in maximizing video content.

What I’ve learned over the last decade is that consumers are beginning to value who they give their money to. Deals, promises or ego-boosting-media has created a purchase hesitancy that’s been difficult to overcome. This is why I encourage you to avoid seeking popular topics and consider the power of your origin story. Explaining your reasoning for launch and how you’ve came to be is a huge selling point. Don’t you want potential customers to know you’re risking it all for them? Video topics that don’t tie into value propositions strictly become sources of information. Comparing yourself to other options is risky and one wrong word could place you at the bottom of the totem pole.

Although competitive corporations invest in smear tactics, losing sight of the customer can cause you to lose the sale altogether. There are a number of ways to position your product or service without seeming pushy. Instead of telling people why they should buy in, discuss 3-5 ways they benefit from you. Instead of shoving features down consumer’s throats, talk about why you developed them. Instead of promoting a general testimonial, sit down with the customer and talk with them about their experience. I could go on and on, but this is what I do for a living – so I have to create a little suspense.

I recently completed a video series for Green Zone Health and Fitness in Glendale, Arizona. They wanted to promote their online vegan meal plans and custom workout regimens. Instead of piecing together a commercial-like production – we focused on why they started, how they’re competent and who they’re serving. We were able to come up with 10 different topics by simply hashing out these foundational elements of their brand.

Before I explain how I maximized their videos, let’s talk more about breaking down topics.

Key 3. Breaking Down Videos to Expand Topics.

Video content is a lot different that blogging. In most cases, on site copy requires an introduction, body and closing. With video, you only have a few seconds to engage and attract. Not everyone is going to get through the entire video because the initial point won’t always be interesting. That doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t an element of the video that won’t speak to them.

Earlier this summer, I did a live podcast on purposeful social media posting. To kick off the recording, I spoke about a few things I was working on and how I was planning to expanding my services. Although some people viewed the entire video, I’m sure most could care less about my endeavors. I’m sure a lot of them stopped watching. Throughout the video I discussed chasing likes, popularity, imagery, competition, perspective and hashtag use. I could have blasted this video across all channels in hopes that a quantitative method worked – But, I knew that would be ignorant and lazy.

So, I created separate videos (with titles) for every idea within the topic. To date, my 60 second “hashtag video” is one of the highest performing posts on my Instagram feed. It’s not amazing but it was worthwhile. Breaking down the video garnered more views on the podcast and improved organic search traffic for my business. Leveraging the credibility of one key point allowed me to engage users with something that interested them. In turn, they wanted to see what else I had to say. Maximizing video content isn’t always about the topic. It’s about strategically presenting the information you’re capturing and repurposing it with value statements. Let’s look at another example..

When I was working with Green Zone, we used a similar strategy. The initial proposal called for one video discussing their three online fitness packages. During the shoot, I had them explain what types of people benefitted from each option. I quickly realized that they created separate packages because a meal and workout plan isn’t for everyone. Duh!

I ended up talking them into breaking this video down so they could target certain people with a relevant option. They would have essentially limited their reach by bucketing everything into one video. Not only were we able to create additional video content with original answers, but more traffic to their membership page. Now we’re on project 3.

Key 4. Sharing Your Videos Wisely.

The last step in maximizing video content pertains to publishing. The easiest way for most of you to share video content is through Youtube. I mention this because a number of businesses overlook the importance of the featured image (the picture that previews your video). I encourage you to find a presentable snippet from the video or upload something appealing. Remember, first impressions are everything!

Without “sharing” too much detail, I wanted to revisit something I’ve reiterated throughout this article. Don’t force feed your followers or overwhelm them with information. Avoid spammy lingo and nurture them with intrigue. This creates more comfort in pressing play. We’ve already maximized the reach by breaking down each video, so straight forward titles will do the trick. Remember to link each partial video back to the main form of content in order to enhance your SEO.

Lastly, when you solidify your brand identity, you should also know exactly who your customers are. If your audience doesn’t log into social media until 6pm at night, don’t post your videos at 10am. You can automate the process for certain times of day so you’re not manually posting everything.

Want to Learn More?

I’m passionate about helping businesses and professionals improve the way they present themselves. Video content is just another opportunity to do so. If you’d like to discuss possibilities with me, I’d love to learn more about your story how I can help.